Constellar announces partnership with Chinese event

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Singapore, 1st November: The organisers of Food2China EXPO, Guangdong (China) Imported Food Association (GDIFA) and Constellar-WorldEx, have signed a long-term partnership agreement with three other food trade fairs, Zhong Shi Zhan, Guangzhou International Food and Ingredients Exhibition (GIFIF), and Wine to China EXPO (originated from Shenzhen TOEWine).

Together, the conglomerate will launch the inaugural Food2China Expo running from 21st to 23rd September 2023 at Poly World Trade Center Expo (Guangzhou).

The new show will be organised by the organisers of the four food trade fairs and will be managed by Constellar-WorldEx, the Guangzhou Chamber of International Commerce and Shanghai Hehe Exhibition Group. The event is expected to cover over 66,000 m2 and attract more than 1,400 exhibitors and 80,000 visitors.

Quick takes

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Singapore launches roadmap for hotel industry

Singaporean government ministers have launched the Hotel Industry Transformation Map – a roadmap for growth in the hospitality industry that includes upgrading skills, encouraging innovation, raising sustainability standards and providing viable career paths.

Hong Kong aims to return as “Trade Fair Capital of Asia”

Hong Kong SAR Government Chief Executive John Lee made a commitment to support the industry’s efforts to re-establish Hong Kong as the “Trade Fair Capital of Asia” in his recent policy address. Measures include the extension of the Convention and Exhibition Industry Subsidy Scheme, as well as a new HK$1.4 billion (US$179 million) to subsidise more than 200 exhibitions over three years.

Thailand’s exhibition industry on the rebound

Thailand reported a strong rebound in its exhibition industry, and is driving forward with a new campaign to boost domestic tradeshows. 11 new international tradeshows were launched between May and September 2022. More than half were staged by local offices of international organisers, or in partnership with Thai organisers, and support from the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

Malaysia nurturing home-grown signature events

Aiming to accelerate the recovery of the business events industry, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) is working with local professional conference and exhibition organisers to launch and establish home-grown events. This represents a change from its pre-pandemic focus on attracting international events.

MEGA SHOW returns to Hong Kong physically

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Hong Kong, 25th October: Comasia announced that the 2022 MEGA SHOW will run from 15th to 18th November 2022 in physical format at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

The four-day event will showcase a wide array of gifts and premiums, housewares and kitchen, toys and baby products, festive, Christmas and seasonal, and sporting goods.

Koelnmesse to launch Anuga Select in Tokyo

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Japan, 21st October: International exhibition organiser Koelnmesse will launch a new trade fair in Japan in 2024: Anuga Select, Koelnmesse’s food and foodtec field trade fair.

The new show is built on a strategic partnership between Koelnmesse and Japan Food Journal, a trade publishing house. Japan Food Journal also organises several other trade fairs in the food sector in Japan.

GL events revenue up 84%

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Lyon, 19th October: GL events released its financial results for the nine months ended 30th September 2022. It reported revenue growth of 84%, reaching €805 million (US$789 million), which represents a very strong recovery in business – approaching pre-pandemic levels.

In terms of business sectors, GL events Live generated revenues of €486 million (US$476 million), up 91% year-on-year. The second largest sector was GL events Venues, with revenues of €220 million (US$216 million), representing year-on-year growth of 179%. The remaining revenues were generated by GL events Exhibitions, which dropped 6% year-on-year.

TCEB launches new campaign to boost domestic exhibitions

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Thailand, 20th October: Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has partnered with 11 organisations in public and private sectors to launch the “SPIRE Thailand” campaign, aimed at expediting the organisation of domestic exhibitions. It is expected that the campaign will generate more than THB7.8 billion (US$207 million) for the Thai economy.

TCEB has unveiled its growth development implementation plan for domestic exhibitions in 2023, working with 11 partners including the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Community Development Department (CDD), Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Cooperative Promotion Department (CPD), Department of Industrial Promotion (DIP), Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), The Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI), The Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP), The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), The Thai Chamber of Commerce, and the Thai Exhibition Association (TEA).

Quick takes

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Foreign arrivals back on track in Philippines

The Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) has surpassed its 2022 arrival target as of mid-October with 1,767,791 foreign visitors on record. The DoT’s target for the full year was 1.7 million.

MCEC announces new CEO

Natalie O’Brien has been named as the new chief executive of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). She will start in the role in January 2023. O’Brien was previously the CEO of Food and Wine Victoria. She replaces outgoing chief executive Peter King who finishes with the business at the end of the year after 11 years at MCEC.

Singapore FinTech Festival to run as stand-alone event

The Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) and Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH), co-located since 2019, will be running as two separate events this year. SFF will be held from 2-4 November at Singapore EXPO, while SWITCH is from 25-28 October at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) Convention Centre.

Taiwan reopens without quarantine

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Taiwan, 13th October: The government in Taiwan announced that it will re-open its borders to overseas travellers by lifting its compulsory quarantine for COVID-free arrivals.

In September, Taiwan resumed visa-free entry with a cap on the number of arrivals and a “3+4” arrangement: three nights in a designated hotel, followed by four days of self-monitoring and testing. Now, arrivals in Taiwan are required to conduct seven days of self-health management and advised to avoid crowded areas.

RELX releases trading update

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London, 20th October: This week, London-listed RELX released its latest trade update, reporting its underlying revenue growth for the first nine months of 2022 as well as updating the full year outlook.

RELX’s exhibition business posted revenue growth of 85% in the period. According to the company, the growth was driven largely by a return to face-to-face activity across most of its key geographies. Management also noted that its digital tools have been effectively supporting physical events. RELX expects strong growth throughout the financial year as markets recover from the global pandemic.

9,800+ buyers attend HKTDC autumn technology fairs

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Hong Kong, 13th October: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) concluded the physical editions of the five autumn technology fairs, attracting more than 9,800 buyers from 13th to 16th October, to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

The five fairs are Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition), electronicAsia, International ICT Expo, Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) and Hong Kong International Outdoor and Tech Light Expo. electronicAsia is organised by the HKTDC and MMI Asia, and the others are organised by the HKTDC. This time, the events adopted the EXHIBITION+ hybrid model. The online platform will run until 23rd October. Over 1,100 exhibitors showcased information and communication technology products, electronic and lighting products, and new smart city solutions.

Hong Kong government extends support for events

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Hong Kong, 19th October: Earlier this week, during his 2022 policy address, John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced plans to extend support for the Hong Kong events industry.

The government will extend the Convention and Exhibition Industry Subsidy Scheme to 30th June 2023. A new HK$1.4 billion (US$178 million) scheme will be launched to subsidise over 200 exhibitions to be held in Hong Kong over a total of three years.

Quick takes

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AIME returns to Melbourne next year

Celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) will be returning to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 13-15 February 2023.  The show is expected to attract 400 hosted buyers, 2,000 visitor buyers and over 300 exhibitors from around the world.

Festivals inspire new trends in events

Creative digital technology and the social purpose showcased at festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella are being applied to brand activation and business events, creating more engaging and impactful experiences tied to social responsibility.

Government and industry leaders focus on MICE

Global industry leaders and government representatives agreed on five key areas of collaboration at the Joint Leadership Summit held in Singapore on 5th October, pledging to define business events as “controlled gatherings”, establish business events as both economic and tourism tools, and collaborate on accessibility, talent & capability development and sustainability.

Pico and Founders Factory jointly help start-ups in Asia

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Hong Kong, 6th October: Hong Kong-listed Pico Group announced it is joining hands with Founders Factory, a leading start-up accelerator and venture studio, to launch a new venture-building initiative in Asia.

The two companies will cultivate technology start-ups in Web3, martech and event activation. The initiative will target “start-up accelerators” – focusing on assisting pre-seed and seed stage start-ups looking to build scale, and “venture studios” – helping them identify and grow new start-ups.

Constellar to launch Singapore’s first agri-tech exhibition

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Singapore, 11th October: Singapore-based exhibition organiser, Constellar, will open Singapore’s first agri-food technology exhibition, Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA). It will be held as a participating event of Singapore International Agri-Food Week.

With international partner DLG (the German Agricultural Society), the inaugural AFTEA will run from 26th to 28th October 2022 at Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The show will highlight knowledge sharing and technology solutions to address farming and food supply challenges, aiming to improve quality, efficiency and output of agricultural processes, increase crop yield and self-reliance. More than 200 exhibitors from 15 countries will be showcased.

Inaugural Asia CEO Summit concludes in Singapore

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Singapore, 7th October: The inaugural Asia CEO Summit was held from 5th to 7th October 2022 at The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore, bringing together leaders of major business events organisers. They reaffirmed their commitment to the sustainable growth of business events and the MICE sector in Asia.

During the summit, participants exchanged insights on the resumption of physical business events in their respective markets, and built momentum for further business events in the region.

STB inks new MICE partnerships

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Singapore, 5th October: Following the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), STB has signed two other partnerships with key MICE industry players to grow the industry in Singapore, aiming to reinforce Singapore’s position as a Global-Asia Node for business events.

The first MoU is a seven-party MoU involving STB, Informa Markets, Constellar Venues, PICO World (Singapore), Cityneon Holdings, Kingsmen Exhibits and Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS). The other MoU was signed between STB and Comexposium, a leading global event organizer.